Congressman Seth Moulton convened a forum Monday at the Lynn City Council Chambers that focused on solutions to the current affordable housing crisis in Massachusetts and on the North Shore.
Mayor Jared Nicholson delivered the opening remarks for the forum, thanking Moulton for his leadership on the issue of affordable housing.
Congressman Moulton presented remarks before the first of the two panel discussions.
“We need to work together across party lines and all levels of government to solve this problem,” said Moulton. “We’re here this morning because Massachusetts is facing a housing affordability crisis and the old playbook just isn’t working.”
Moulton focused a portion of his remarks on rent control. The Boston City Council recently approved a rent control plan proposed by Mayor Michelle Wu.
“Almost every single living economist opposes rent control,” said Moulton. “Any student of housing policy knows that while rent control sounds great, to even say it has a mixed legacy is generous at best. The goals of rent control are admirable – to create tenant stability and prevent rent from rising to unaffordable rates – but reality is quite different: reduced construction, deterioration of housing stock, and reduced mobility, which, of course, is the opposite of what we need. San Francisco has some of the strictest rent control in the country, and the worst housing crisis.”
Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll presented remarks before the start of the second panel discussion.
The panelists joining Moulton in the Federal Policy forum were Juana Matias, regional administrator, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Ken Willis, senior vice president, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.
The panelists in the State and Local Solutions forum were Andrew DeFranza, executive director, Harborlight Community Partners, Jason Etheridge, president, Lifebridge North Shore, and Eric Shupin, director of public policy, Citizens Housing and Planning Association.